Russians reject salute to clash victims

MOSCOW, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The lower house of the Russian parliament rejected a proposal Friday to honor those killed in a struggle for state control 15 years ago, officials say.

The Duma proposal for 1 minute of silence came from Communist lawmaker Nikolai Kharitonov, who said it was "expedient for social unity" to remember those killed on Oct. 3-4, 1993, Novosti reported.

Official figures say that almost 200 people died during clashes in Moscow that resulted from a parliamentary crisis triggered by Russian leader Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin had dissolved the opposition-led Supreme Soviet and called for new elections. Unofficial reports placed the death toll nearer 2,000.

State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov, a member of the ruling United Russia party, spoke against the idea of a minute's silence and urged his colleagues to "be a little more politically correct with regard to those events."